Machine for cutting index notches in book edges



H. SIEB Nov. 29, 1949 MACHINE FOR CUTTING INDEX NOTCHES IN BOOK EDGES Filed April 19, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 29, 1949 v 5153 2,489,825

MACHINE FOR CUTTING INDEX NOTCHES IN BOOK EDGES Filed April 19 1947 8 SheetsSheet 2 Nov. 29, 1949 H. SIEB MACHINE FOR CUTTING INDEX NOTCHES IN BOOK EDGES Filed April 19, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 fl fl er 11g H. SIEB Nov. 29, 1949 MACHINE FOR CUTTING INDEX NOTCHES IN BOOK EDGES a Shets-Sheet 4 Filed April 19, 1947 H. SIEB Nov. 29], 1949 8 Shets-Sheet 5 I ll lllllllll l||||| llllllL INN H. SIEB -Nov. 29, 1949 MACHINE FOR CUTTING INDEX NOTCHES IN BOOK EDGES 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed April 19 1947 Nov. 29, 1949 H. SIEB 2,489,825

MACHINE FOR CUTTING INDEX NOTCHES IN. BOOK EDGES Filed April 19, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Nov. 29, 1949 H. SIEB 2,489,825

MACHINE FOR CUTTING INDEX NOTCHES IN BOOK EDGES.

Filed April 19, 1947 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Patented Nov. 29, 1949 UNITED STATES entrant OFFICE MACHINE FOR CUTTING'INDEX NOTCHESI IN BOOK EDGES Henry Sieb, Hammond; Ind.

Application April 19, 1947'," Serial No. 742,505 1 (Cl. .164-.i-48:)

1 14 Claims;

Although the practice of cutting thumb notches in the edges of books,- for indexing purposes, is very old, little progress has heretofore been made toward nctching advantageously by machinery.

" The present invention has for its main object to produce a simpleand'novel machine by which books of any size may be notched rapidly and accurately, with little effort on the part of the operator, and in a manner to achieve uniformity with respectto an indefin-ite number of-like books.

The variousfeatures of novelty whereby the present invention is characterized will hereinafter he pointed outwith particularity in the claims, but, for a full understanding of the inventi-on and of its objects and advantages-reference may be had-to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an end view of a machine-embodying the present invention, parts being in section; Fig. 1 is a section, on an enlarged scale, through theone way clutch for. driving the rack bar which moves the books ahead; Fig.2 is a vertical, transverse section through the cutting mechanism, with the parts in the same positions as, but on a larger scale than, in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view, partlyin section andjpartty in elevation; ona. still larger scale, showing thecutting knife and a fragment of the holder therefor; Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 -4.: of Fig. 3;. Fig. 5 is a vertical'section through the latchplate onthe vertically slidable actuator; Fig. 6 is a view. similar to Fig. 2, showing the parts in-the positions which theyoccupy just as anotch is being completed; Figs. land 8 are, respectively, an -edge viewand a top plan view of a shoe-bywhich'a book may be held in position whilein the machine; Fig. 9 is a front view-of that portion of the machine shown in Fig. 2,-withthe parts in the same positions as in that figure; Fig-l is a section on line lil-i-llliof -Fig..

9,=showin,g only the stationary column or upright and the slides mountedthereon; Fig. 11 is a section on line I I.l l of Fig-,9 but on a larger, scale than the latter Fig..:l2 isa top plan .view of the machine withqthe column and parts supported thereon omitted; Fig. 13 is-anaielevational view.

of the maintransmiss-ion apparatus, as seen from the-front of the gmachlne; Fig-14 is aviewof the apparatus ;,Sh0WI1' "lI1:Fig; 13,,as. seen from a point te-the right of Fig 13; Fig-.:15iis a'section on the irregular line -l+-.l.5:of Fig; 14,; Fig. 16isa vertical. section;v on-a: plane; containing the. longitudinalcenten line of :1 the... ratchet. feeds bar;

'7 is-a section on line ll -lT-of'Fig; 12; Fig. 18 is asection; onalarger-scale, 0n linelB-IB of Fig. 17,- showing-onlyywliatis approximately in theplane of *thesection; Fig.- 19' is a perspective view ofa book provided with markers to indicatethe places at which *thebook is 'to be opened incutting the desired'notohes; and-Fig. 20 is a view similar to Fig; 19,- showing the-book after the notches have been cut.

Referringto-the drawing;- l-is' a heavy, flat, rectangular, metal platemounted on and formin a. closure for the top-of-a cabinet 2. Mounted ontop of the bedortable, about mid-way between the ends and toward-the rear thereof, is a sturdy upright or column 3: A'-hol-low-liead 4 1s mounted on the front-side of-thecolumn for vertical sliding movements fromandtowardthe bed or table. The head is suspended from one end of a chain 5 that eXtends-up-toand-overa sprocket wheel 6 mounted on top of the column; the other end of the chain-being fastened to a cable 1 that emerges from the casing 8 of a self winding reel ofany 'spring actuated-conventional type. Asshown in Fig. 2; thisdevice maycomprise an outer casing across the-interior-ofwhich extends a stationary shaft 8*, a'spirai spring fl surrounding and anchored atone end to the shaft, and a rotatable drum 80 which encloses the spring and to which the other end of the spring is anchored. Thehead is thereforenormallyyieldingly held raised, as in Figs. 1 and-2'. 0n top-of the column, besides the sprocket wheel, is i a vertical, cylindrical casing '9 containing a plunger Ill that protrudes from the lower-end thereoffor engagement with the-topot the head when the latter moves up. A-compression spring II in the casing yieldingly resists upward movement of the plunger which, therefore, serves as a bufier for iehead. The-head is providedwith a hollow arm i2 projectingforwardly therefrom and open on its under side In the column, behind the head 4; isan actuatorin the form 0f "a':verticallyvslidable bar 14. On the front side'and "near-the upper end of the actuator is awprotruding blockrlS of "hard steel adapted to cooperate with a latch member IS in the-head to draw thevheaddown'; This'latch member is mounted insth'e-rearend of arm 12 on theheadfior rocking movements about a hori-i zontal pivotpin. Hpassingthmugh the middle of the same, fromand toward the actuator. When the upper end of latchmember I6 is beneath" block I5," as :in Fig. 2, a downward movement of .the actuatorsbar I 4 :lproduces a correthrough; thesbamandzfits :immediatesuppvrt; Fig.:, spending movement: in the head..-

On the forward end of arm I2 is mounted a carrier l8 for a cutter or knife of the gouge chisel type, namely, trough shaped with a transverse cutting edge at one end. The carrier is a rocker device supported between its ends on a pivot pin 20 that is parallel to pin IT. The lower ends of elements It and I8 are connected together by a lengthwise adjustable connecting rod 2!, so that they must rock in unison with each other. Surrounding such connecting rod is a compression spring 22 that abuts at its forward end against an adjustable collar 2t on the rod and, at its rear end, against a plate 25 that is fastened to arm I2 and through which the rod passes. This spring constantly exerts a yielding pressure on the connecting rod in the direction to pull the lower end of latch member i6 forward while the upper end swings rearwardly into the path of block I on the actuator. A set screw 26, carried at the upper end of the knife carrier, normally engages a shoulder 21 on arm 12, to prevent the upper end of the rockable latch member from swinging too far in the rearward direction. The lower end of the knife carrier contains a vertical, cylindrical socket 28, open at its lower end. The stem 29 of a knife holder 38 fits in this socket and is held in place by a set screw 3|. The body portion of the tool holder terminates in a troughlike part 32 that forms a seat into which the knife fits. Cooperating with this trough-shaped part of the holder is semicylindrical block 34 that is adapted to be nested in the trough Of the knife; so that, when a screw 35 is passed through part 32 and the knife into thisblock, the knife is firmly clamped between these two holder elements. The parts are so proportioned that the knife normally slants downwardly and rearwardly at an angle of about 45; the lower end being shaped to bring the entire lower end edge into a plane parallel with the top of the bed or table.

It will be seen that latch member I6 is, in effect, a spring pressed pawl which provides a positive driving connection between the actuator and the sliding head when the actuator moves down from the raised position shown in Fig. 2; this being due to the fact that pivot pin H is placed well forward from' the path of travel of block i5 on the actuator, so that the upper half of latch member I6 inclines upwardly and rearwardly and cannot slip out from under the block. Consequently, whenever the actuator pulls the head down, both will travel through the length of the stroke of the actuator unless the rocking latch member is tripped before a full down stroke is completed. In the operation of the machine the latch tripping is done by a book into which a notch is being cut, and which lies fiat on the bed or table as will now be explained.

On the bed or table are a pair of aligned longitudinal guides 36 and 3'! located in front of the column 3 in a vertical plane that is crossed by the entire cutting edge of the knife in making a cutting stroke. The two guides are spaced apart from each other far enough to allow the knife to move freely through the space between them.

In operation. a book, such as A in Fig. 6, is placed on the table with the edge that is to be notched held against the guides. Then, when the head is drawn down, the knife is brought into contact with the upper side of the book at a predetermined distance from such edge and begins to cut into the same. The resistance offered by the boo-k to penetration of the knife into the same results in rocking the knife and its carrier;

the cutting edge being caused to travel rearwardly as well as downwardly, out through the vertical edge of the book. When the cutting of the notch has been completed, there is no longer any need for further downward movement of the head, and so it is automatically released from the actuator; moving up to its normal raised position as soon as it is released. The release is effected by tripping the latch. Obviously, when the knife rocks toward the rear of the machine the upper end of the carrier therefor rocks forwardly; and, since latch member i3 rocks in the same way as the carrier, its upper end moves forwardly to disengage it from the actuator. Thus, in Fig. 6 the knife is just about ready to emerge at the edge of the book, while latch member it has been rocked until it is almost out from under the shoulder formed by block I5 on the actuator. Now, only a small additional downward movement of the head is needed to rock member it far enough to carry it clear of such shoulder; the spring actuated reel then acting instantly to lift the head to its raised position. After the tripping of the latch the actuator continues to the end of its down stroke, as will be further explained, and then, as it comes to the end of its up stroke, it is again automatically latched to sliding head.

While I am not certain that a critical condition is represented thereby, I have found that excellent results are obtained when the lower edge or shoulder 15 of block [5 is at an angle of 33 to horizontal, with the radial distance of the upper edge E6 on member 15, relative to pivot pin El increasing slightly from front to rear.

It-is usually necessary to cut more than one notch in a book edge. I have therefore provided means coordinated with the operation of the aforesaid actuator to feed a book automatically through successive steps of any desired length; so that any desired notches may be cut, one after another, in the same book.

The immediate feeding means for books being operated upon is a rack bar 38, which is set in a groove 39 that extends throughout the length of the bed or table in position to underlie books that are being out. As best shown in Figs. 16 and 17, this rack bar is driven by a pinion 4i! fixed on a shaft ii that lies beneath and is hung from the bed or table so as to extend rearwardly from the front of the machine. On the front end of this shaft is a hand wheel 42 for manually turning the same. Groove 39 is provided with a cover plate M for about one half of its length, namely that half beyond the cutting point; the top of the bed or table being recessed to receive the plate and leave the top of the table smooth. This plate, being held down by screws '35, in turn holds the rack bar down. In the groove, at the outer end of that portion left open, is an elongated stop block 45 having therein a slot 47 that extends lengthwise thereof. This block may be fastened to the table by a screw 48 that extends through the slot into any one of a series of holes ll-l opening into the table through the bottom of the groove and spaced apart from each other lengt wise of the groove; the spacing of these holes being about equal to the length of slot 41. This permits the stop to be adjusted very accin'ately to arrest the movement of the rack bar toward that end of the table at any point along a considerab e section of the groove.

The rack bar is adapted to be equipped with a suitable shoe, at the end which meets the stop just described, to engage a book and push it she clnand, pr era n a so to h ld. he shoa sassihstsuides 3.6. a d; 311 W ile i is b in s Th shoe which; have i lu rat d h hed- Ini e hor a m of he. li .a.. 0 e; th hal slot while in the under side thereof is an under: cut:.-gr.,o0ve .52 re s erin w h a d. W e han the; slot,; O n top of the rack, near the end, is fixed-a c oss piec 5 tha nst t tes; a k y o. enter ks w y or groove 5 he l ng ar o he shoe has near itsfreeend; a roller 555; that. is; adap ed-t r on th le andi ov e. a roll: ins; upp t. for h ls o al i r e a on b the rack. Slot 5! permits the shoe to be ad-, ihs dto fit ah w f ook thi :l s d termined; by. the; length of the. slot; whereas stop. block-461 serves initially toposition-a book of any lengthin position'to have the first notch out in thesame at, any desired point in thc length of the book.. Shoes may, of course, be made in various, sizes to avoidthe. necessity of using a big, heavyshoe for notching small books,

The-power driven means for operating both the-r k h rahd. a u t r .M; wi n w e scribed,

Asshown. inFig l, there is withinthe cable not base of the machine a suitable. electric motor 5.6 which, through a belt; 51, drives mechanisms mountedon-the under side, of the bed or table. The beltrunsover a pulley 58 loose on one end of a, shaft 59 that extends through agear housing 60 and is disposed lengthwise-of the mav chine. A clutch Bl, is, interposed between the shaft and the pulley. On the other end of this shaft is a crank arm 62 from which a connecting rod 64 extends to the lower end of actuator z.

M; theconnecting rod passing up through an opening 65 in the table below the column 3. Thus, for each revolution of shaft 59, theactuator for the cutter head makes acomplete up stroke and a complete down stroke. shaft 66 that is parallelto shaft 59 andturns at the same-speed asithe. latter through intermeshins l e ears Bl and ,stther m .1. h t 66, in line with clutch BI, is; a cam 69,, Clutch 61 is controlled by a radialarm 1Q fixedat one end to one end of a shaft H that extendsv through the housing parallel to the other two shafts, 59 and 66., On the other end of shaft H is an: other radial arm 12. The. free end of. arm 12 is;

connectedto. a rod 14: that extendsdown to a treadle 15 that protrudes through the front. wall of the cabinet. A tensionv spring 16, fass tened at its upper end to. the table andat its. lower end to a collar. '11 on rod '14, normally holds the, rod and treadle raised, as in Fig. 1. Clutch-.7

operatin arm H! has. a'st r'ut element. l8 fixed thereto, and, extending down into, the vicinity of cam $9. On the lower end of this strut is a cam roller 19 that. rides on the cam. When arm 70 .is in theposition shown in Fig. 1, the clutch is; out and cam roller 19, is onthe lowspot on cam es. s ess a .-t e.lt s le i se swhr the-c tch ak shold arida u h fi ft 59 and censequen n; ha t. e am nswith-sha t 66, bringing the high part thereof; under the earn ro r d: prev in m it from d essin h n p ess e o e treed er lea d; Cent..- 69, bein simply a disc with. a peripheralnotch for; a ow p int, ns q shhr ho d he u h; e ea i g arm. rsi dhnti aft 5 co plete a: rev luti n t s arted w h th ds rsssiohp the There is mounted in housing 50 ashort shaft. that is at right. angles to shaft- Gfigfifld on In housing 68 is a w endofwhichpro rudss .frc hthe I.

the outer end of block; and a collar 89 fixed g tothe screw at the inner end of that block, while allowing the screw .to turn freely,- hold it against lengthwisem qvement on the arm. Therefore, whenthe screwhead is turned, block 86 will be. moved-along the groove in one direction or the other. Block; 86 carries a journal. 90 that projects .outward1y-paralle1 to shaft 80, the samev serving as acranic-pin to drive a connecting rod- 9l: that is .journalled thereon and extends en thwi e. o the mac n h s onne n d.

=. reac s t ss sh a m 9 l s on s h ttt lus below haft 41 ssshowh h '1; a k.- pin connefi tin the. rod and arm together. This: crank arrn is fastened tothe casing 96 of anyconventional one-way clutch surrounding shaft 95., Such a clutch is; shown in Fig. 1 wherein shaft 94 is. surrounded by, and has affixed thereto a thick sleeve of bushing 94%, enclosed within the; clutch casing; the clutch casing being; loose. on the shaft. Theinterior of, the casing isrecessed to provide a-series of little pockets] or chambersopen on the sides toward the shaft and each containing a roller 93 that bears against theshaft. Eachpocket or chamber has a cam surface sfiathat wedges the corresponding roller against the shaft whenthe casing is turned in;

Qns.-. 1 reet en h leo savine the ler ee to.

roll. on, eshat he h casing is u n n h he ection. n, o h r o tdswhe h conn ct n mdmm sthw sfih she sties. i tumsshsft itt r sh an s lerd s:

tah sthet. de shdsy ns adjustment o h cr n n ste oth r nd. o h rod; her

oh hs s h h t e i he od af tands-st l s t-Whhthhs esss that c each of the connecting rods 9i and 54 makes a complete workingstroke and for each revolution of main shaft 59, the rack bar will be movedthrough a-predetermined distance during each op provided that shafted and GI are geared toss h h qturh at, he same e d. But, n e he PQW T- d i em ns. o s n e urn the r k. hantqits sta gting point, gear wheel 91 on shaftes. is m ade to mesh; with; a lilge gear wheel $8 ihs e ains ar hi. a. ut h. s .r ss shdshsft slu humeshamszn e re l d; ite ri e sho e th to the t s u right... 0 tqlhhic 3;

m h thspthsrr Qf hv m slhtth be n show l ts s0; I hh vids w s r ke The tastiest ng cycle of the ngtch cutting mechanism,

hat-t. 4 th le ter s a eelthat thsshefts" h l ot rr n .heihe set ihi is- 6 hrou h.- asroue f .=l eres;s. he-hither side. o his e.

book, so that the cutter does not come near the table. However, when cutting notches much nearer the table, the cutting edge may come in contact with the latter. Therefore in order to avoid damage to the knife, I ,place a wood inset I03 in the table in the area that may be reached by the knife. This inset may be quickly replaced if it be damaged.

A substantial part of the operation of the machine has been explained in connection with the description of its structural features, and the further discussion of the operation will therefore be confined to the manner of making plural notches in books of whatever size they may be.

Boo-ks are composed of sections, those for each book being placed in stack formation and stitched together at the edges which are to form the back edge of the book; all edges being square at the time of cutting the notches. When a lot of like books are to be notched, a guide shoe f the proper size is attached to the rack of the machine and, with a book lying on the support or table, the shoe is adjusted to hold the book in engagement with guide 36. The rack is then adjusted lengthwise, by hand, to bring the book into the proper position for cutting the notch that is nearest the advance edge of the book when the latter is fed step by step through the cutting zone; clutch 99 having first been released. The clutch lever I00 is then shifted to couple the rack to the power drive means. The stroke of connecting rod 9| is adjusted to cause the rack to be moved through a step exactly equal to the distance desired between consecutive notches, measured from center to center. cutting knife is not already in the holder, one is inserted and the machine is ready for use.

Each book, before it is placed in :the machine, has markers inserted between its sections; the markers being caused to protrude, from that edge of the book which is the only edge not in contact with a guide or a shoe, and form tabs to facilitate the folding back of one section after another as the notching proceeds. In Fig. 19 there is illustrated a book A stitched along one edge, at B, and having little pieces C of cardboard or the like inserted between sections. On the assumption that there are ten notches to be cut, ten of these strips are shown. In Fig. 19 the observer is looking at the edge which faces toward the back of the machine away from the operator, and is engaged with the longitudinal stationary guides 36 and 37. With this book properly located in position for receiving the first cut, the operator places a finger under the uppermost tab and slides it back under the same, while lifting it, until he is able to flip back the whole upper section; the marker being dropped to the fioor. The treadle is then pressed down momentarily and a cycle of operations thus started continues through one complete cycle. In other words, starting with the cutter head and the actuator up as in Fig. 2, the head moves down a little past the position that it has assumed in Fig. 6, cutting a notch N and tripping the latch. Thereupon the head is rapidly pulled up to its normal, raised position and re-- mains there while the actuator completes its down stroke and then moves up again to latch itself to the head. The controlling cam 69 has now completed a revolution and allows the clutch that drives the main shaft 59 to release automatically.

The mechanisms are so timed that the rack bar is moved ahead one step during the up stroke of the actuator for the head, namely, at a time when there is nothing to interfere with the free ad- If the proper s vance of the book. This properly locates the book for cutting the second notch. The operator then flips back the second book section and again presses the pedal down, causing the cycle to repeat itself. This process is repeated until all notches have been cut. After all of the notches have been cut, the operator removes the book, shifts clutch lever I00 to unclutching position and, by turning hand wheel 42, moves .the rack back until it strikes the stop block 4-6; whereupon the machine is ready to receive the next book and cut the first notch upon depression of the treadle.

It will thus be seen that notch cutting can be done very accurately and with the certainty of having uniformity of product throughout an indefinite number of books of the same kind. It will also be seen that by providing merely various sizes and shapes of cutting knives, an infinite variety of notching for books of all sizes and kinds is made possible by my machine. It will also be seen that one of the ways in which notching can be varied is by adjusting the set screw 26 and connecting rod 2| to vary the initia1 angular position of the knife and, therefore, the distance from the book edge at which the start of a notch begins. Likewise, varying the initial compression of the latch spring 22 has an influence 0n the character of the notch; compression of this spring depending on the position of the adjustable collar 24 on rod 2|.

It will further be seen that speed of operation, with no harmful effects, is achieved by braking the shaft that is turned step by step to move the rack bar, and by providing a cushion for the sliding head to permit the use of a powerful spring to raise it quickly without causing objectionable shocks.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact details thus illustrated and described, but intend to cover all forms and arrangements that come within the definitions of my invention constitutin the appended claims.

I claim:

l. In a machine of the character described, a support for a fiat-lying book, a head mounted for movements from a normal, raised position toward the support, a vertically movable actuator near the head and having thereon a downwardly facing shoulder, a movable latch member on said head positioned normally to underlie said shoulder to connect the actuator and the head together for downward movements in unison with each other, a spring-held rocking cutting element movably mounted on the head and connected to the latch for cutting a notch in an edge of the book and then releasing the head from the actuator by moving the latch member clear of said shoulder when the head is moved down far enough to drive the cutting element into the book, and yieldable means connected to the head to return the same to its raised position when unlatched from the actuator.

2. In a machine of the character described, a support for a fiat-lying book, a head mounted for movements from a normal, raised position toward the support, a vertically movable actuator near the head and havin thereon a downwardly facing shoulder, a spring-held swinging latch member so disposed on said head that it tends constantly to project into the path of said shoulder and is yieldable upwardly, so that, when the actuator moves up from below, it may pass the nastiest latch member" and the latter may then snap back-into its normal'positionin the path of the shoulder, abutting element movably mounted on the-head and connected-to the latch member for" cutting anotch in-anedgeof the book and then-swinging the latch-member clearof said 'shoulderwhen'ever the head'is moved down far enough to"drivethecuttingelement through the book, andyie-ldable'means connected to the head to return the same to its raised position-when unlatched from the actuator.

-3.-Amachine' asset iorth'jin claim 2, wherein means are provided to reciprocate the' actuator through a stroke of-such length that the head is carried thereby, unless unlat'ched at some intermediate point, from thenormal raisedposition to a lower'-p'osition'in which the cutting element is close to the support for theblock;

"'4; Ina machine of the'c'haracter described, a support-for a'llat-l'y'ing book; a head mov ablefrom a normal raised position toward said support, a 'spring held'rockabledevice on' the'head 'to cut anotch in an edge'of the book and simultaneously change its angular position on the head wheneverthe' "latteris'moved' down far enough'to cause the device to come in contact with the top side of the'book, an actuator to move head downward, a connection between the head and the actuator tocausethehi to movein unison when the actuator makes a down stroke,isaid connection including'means 'co'ntrolledby the rockable device to' free the'head from the actuator when the rockable devicehas'undergone a predetermined change'in angular'position, and yieldable means connected to the head to return the same to its raised position when 'freedfrom the actuator.

I 5. In a'machine 'o'fthe" character described, a support for afi'at-lyingj book, a head movable down from,.a normal raised position toward said support, aspring-held rockable device on the head to cut a notch in an-edge of the book and simultaneously change its angular position on the *head when the latter is moved down far enough to press said device against the top side of the booktfl-fan'eactuatorjla latch, including a movable latch member on the head, that connects the head and the actuator for downward movements 'in 'unison With each other, said latch member being connected-to said device was to be tripped by the same and free the head from the actuator when the device undergoes a predetermined cha'ngein angular position, and yield able means connected to the head to return thesame to its 'rais'ed'p'osition"when free from the actuator.

6. In a machine of the character described, a support for a flat-lying book, a head movable vertically from a normal raised position toward the support, a device mounted on the head to rock about a horizontal axis and in a vertical plane that is transverse to the edge of the book in which one or more notches are to be cut, a cutter on said device, a spring normally holding said device in such a position that upon descent of the head the cutter engages the upper side of the book a short distance from said edge and thereafter said device rocks in the direction to cause the cutter to execute a cutting stroke downwardly and laterally through said edge, means connected to the head and acting constantly in a manner to lift the head into said raised position and yieldingly hold it there when the head is otherwise unconstrained, an actuator to move the head, including a latch member connected to said device, to cause the actuator and the head 10 to be disengaged from each other when said device has rocked'far enoughto cause the cutter to complete a cuttingstroke.

7. A machine as set forth in claim 6, wherein the parts of theconne'ction between the head and the actuator are so'constructed that the actuator fits slidably in the head, and wherein the latch is yieldable in the direction to allow the actuator to move upward relatively to the head.

8. In a machine of the character described, a support for a fiat-lying book, a slide mounted beside the support'for vertical movements, means to move the slide up and down through a predetermined distance, a head mounted beside the slide for vertical movements independently of the slide, a device pivoted to the head in front of and at asubstantial distance from the slide for rocking movements in a vertical plane intersecting the slide, said slide having a downwardly facing shoulder, a movable latch member on the head connected to the said device for actuation thereby, said latch member having an upwardly facing shoulder which, in one extreme angular position of said'device, extends across the path of the shoulder on the slide, a spring yieldingly holding said device in said extreme angular position, means yieldingly holding the head in a raised position, and a cutter on said device in position first to engage the book on the upper side and a short distance from the edge in which a notch is to be cut, when the head is moved down, and then to cut downwardly and laterally through said edge while said device rocks out of said extreme angular position due to the resistance offered by the book to the cutter, the angle through which said device rocks'during the cutting stroke being sufficient to withdraw the shoulder on the latch member laterally from "engagement with the shoulder on the slide and thereby free the head from the'sli-de at the end of the cutting stroke.

9. Ina machine of the character described, a support for a flat-lying book, a guide extending along the support to engage the book along the edge to be notched, a feed element to move the book step by step along the guide, an upright rising from the sup-port in rear of said feed element, ahead mounted for vertical movements on said upright and having apart projecting forwardly over the zone in which the book lies, a device pivoted to the forward end of said projecting part of the head for" rocking movements in a vertical plane at rightangles to the guide, an actuator movable up and down-on said upright and having on ithe front 'side-a-doWnWar-dly facing shoulder, a latch member movably mounted on the head, a connection between said device and the latch member, a spring yieldingly holding said device in a position to cause the latch member to project into the path of said shoulder, and a cutter on the lower part of said device in position to strike the upper side of the book near said edge when the head is moved down and then act to out a notch through said edge of the book and then rock said device sufficiently to release the latch member from the said shoulder.

10. In a machine of the character described, a support for a flat lying book, a guide extending along the support to engage the book along the edge to be notched, a bar slidably mounted in the support in front of and parallel to the guide to move the book along the guide, an upright rising from the support in rear of said slidable bar, a head mounted for Vertical movements on said upright and having a part projecting forwardly over the bar, a device pivoted to the forward end of said projecting part of the head for rocking movements in a vertical plane at right angles to the guide, an actuator movable up and down on said upright and having on the front side a downwardly facing shoulder, a latch member movably mounted on the head, a connection between said latch member and said device, a spring yieldingly holding said device in a position to cause the latch member to project into the path of said shoulder, a cutter on the lower part of said device in position to strike the upper side of the book near said edge when the head is moved down and cut a notch and then rock said device sufficiently to release said latch member from the said shoulder,

'' and said guide containing a gap opposite the cutter to permit the latter to swing rearwardly beyond the book edge resting against the guide.

11. In a machine of the character described, a support for a fiat lying book, a guide extending along the support to engage the book along the edge to be notched, a slidable rack bar on the support in front of and parallel to the guide to move the book step by step along the guide, an upright rising from the support in rear of said bar, a head mounted for vertical movements on said upright and having a part projecting forwardly over said bar, a device pivoted to the forward end of said projecting part of the head for rocking movements in a vertical plane at right angles to the guide, an actuator movable up and down on said upright and having on the front side a downwardly facing shoulder, a latch member movably mounted on the head, a connection between said latch member and said device, a spring yieldingly holding said device in a position to cause the latch member to project into the path of said shoulder, a cutter on the lower part of said device in position to strike the upper side of the book near said edge when the head is moved down and then act to cut a a notch through said edge of the book and then rock the carrier sufficiently to release said latch member from the said shoulder, a shaft having thereon a pinion in mesh with the rack bar, power mechanism to turn said shaft step by step in one direction only, a manually operably clutch connecting said mechanism to said shaft, and a member on the shaft for turning it manually when the clutch is released.

12. In a machine of the character described, a support for a fiat-lying book, a head, means transverse to the edge of the book in which a notch is to be out, a cutter on the carrier, a spring normally holding the carrier in such a position that upon descent of the head the cutter engages the upper side of the book a short distance from said edge and thereafter the carrier rocks in the direction to cause the cutter to execute a cutting stroke downwardly and laterally through said edge, and means to move the head down.

13. In a machine of the character described, a support for a fiat-lying book, a long guide on and extending lengthwise of said support, a head movable vertically from a normal raised position toward the support, a carrier mounted on the head to rock about a horizontal axis and in a vertical plane that is transverse to the edge of a book on the support held against said guide, a cutter on the carrier, a spring normally holding the carrier in such a position that upon descent of the head the cutter engages the upper side of the book a short distance from said edge and thereafter the carrier rocks in the direction to cause the cutter to execute a cutting stroke downwardly and laterally through said edge, means to move the head down, a groove in the top of said support near and parallel to said guide, a rack bar in said groove and slidable along the same, a Shoe on the rack bar to hold the book against said guide and to engage one end edge of the book to push it along the guide, and means to move the rack bar lengthwise.

14. A machine as set forth in claim 13, wherein there is a shaft provided with a pinion meshing with the rack bar, a hand wheel for turning the shaft, a power driven means to turn the for guiding the head for movements vertically from a raised position toward the support, a carrier mounted on the head to rock about a horizontal axis and in a vertical plane that is shaft step by step in one direction only, and a manually operable clutch to connect said power driven means to the shaft.

HENRY SIEB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 383,252 Rothe May 22, 1888 399,250 Donnell Mar. 12, 1889 453,103 Braidwood May 26, 1891 464,438 Maclachlan Dec. 1, 1891 853,087 Johnson May 7, 1907 1,381,814 Farkas June 14, 1921 2,078,656 Erickson Apr. 27, 1937 

